An Italian Catholic priest, Sandro Ferretto, has reportedly left active priesthood and married a Kenyan woman, Sharon Jepng’ok, in a colourful traditional ceremony in Baringo County, Kenya.
Ferretto, 55, married Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, on September 6 at Seretion village in Kasiela — the same community where he served as a Catholic parish priest and missionary for about 12 years.
The story was first reported by Kenya Times and Kenyan media platform Tuko.co.ke.
The couple were traditionally united through the Koito ceremony, a respected Kalenjin customary marriage rite involving dowry negotiations, family blessings and cultural celebrations.
Family members, community elders, local leaders and colleagues of the bride were said to have attended the ceremony.
Ferretto was ordained as a priest in the Diocese of Padua, Italy, before beginning missionary work in Kenya in 2008. During his years in Kenya, he served communities in Kasiela and Mochongoi under the Diocese of Nyahururu.
He returned to Italy in December 2020 and later became the head of a pastoral unit overseeing eight churches in Saletto and Borgo Veneto in the Padua Diocese.
However, in December 2023, Ferretto reportedly stepped down abruptly from the position after celebrating what was described as his final Mass, giving little notice to colleagues.
At the time, the Diocese of Padua confirmed his departure from pastoral duties, stating that he remained a priest and was not involved in any controversy. The diocese described his exit as a requested break from active ministry.
During that period, he was reportedly involved in voluntary work with a migrant support organisation in Padua.
Ferretto later returned to Kenya, where he reunited with Jepng’ok, whom he had reportedly met during his years of missionary service in Baringo County.
Under Catholic Church law, priests of the Latin Rite are bound by the obligation of celibacy and are not permitted to marry while remaining in active priestly ministry.
A priest intending to marry is expected to obtain laicisation, a Vatican-approved process that releases him from the clerical state and generally includes a dispensation from the obligation of celibacy. Without such a dispensation, a marriage is not recognised by the Catholic Church.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Diocese of Padua in Italy nor the Diocese of Nyahururu in Kenya had issued an official statement regarding Ferretto’s marriage.
Photos and videos circulating from the ceremony show Ferretto and Jepng’ok dressed in matching orange-and-blue traditional outfits and participating in the Koito dance rites before a large crowd of family members and well-wishers at Seretion village.
